Shaping the Future: CuraLinc’s vision for innovation
In our latest Coffee with CuraLinc episode, CuraLinc’s Sr. Vice President of Marketing James Stanton sat down with Chief Product Officer Matt McCreary to explore CuraLinc’s product vision—what’s driving it, how it’s evolving and what’s ahead for the year. Their conversation explored how CuraLinc is continuously adapting to provide more accessible, high-quality mental health support while staying true to the values that set us apart.
Below, we’re recapping key insights from their discussion, including the launch of Financial Navigator and how our recent acquisition of Marquee Health is shaping a more holistic approach to wellbeing.
What is CuraLinc’s product vision?
We bridge the gap between need and care—connecting our members and clients with proven mental health and wellbeing solutions, delivered by a team committed to transforming lives and driving measurable results.
What our product vision means
Too often, employees struggling with their mental health face barriers to care—long wait times, confusing benefits or impersonal tech-driven solutions that don’t address their unique needs. At CuraLinc, our product vision is built on the idea that mental health support should be proactive, seamless and rooted in human connection. It’s about delivering true value.
“Everything that we build has to deliver value for our customers,” Matt says. “These product principles, goals, our commitments and our product vision ultimately help us ensure that the things we decide to pursue are going to deliver for our clients, our users and our team.”
Helping members navigate ambiguity and ambivalence
At CuraLinc, we believe that accessing mental health support shouldn’t feel like navigating a maze. Employees need options that align with their unique circumstances because no single path works for everyone. While some people know exactly what they want and need, others recognize they need help but aren’t sure where to start. That’s why navigation and choice have always been an important part of how we deliver care.
“Too often, organizations and vendors focus on being the ‘front door’ to care, but that assumes people are standing at the front door. If someone’s at the back of the building, they need a different entry point,” Matt explains. That’s why it’s essential to think beyond awareness and accessibility and really consider what people need.
“It’s about meeting people where they are, understanding the broader challenges they’re facing, and helping them navigate to the right solution,” Matt says. “Mental health doesn’t exist in a vacuum—it’s impacted by financial stress, work-life balance and so many other factors. So, part of our role is helping people connect the dots and find the right support.”
The year ahead
Financial wellness as a core piece of mental health and wellbeing
Financial stress is one of the most significant contributors to mental health and wellbeing challenges. Employees facing financial stress—whether from debt, lack of savings or unexpected expenses—may experience anxiety, burnout or depression, which can also take a toll on their physical health and performance in the workplace.
Traditional mental health solutions overlook this key factor and how it relates to an employee’s overall wellbeing. That’s why we’re excited about the release of Financial Navigator—an assessment and recommendation engine designed to support financial wellbeing. The goal is to help employees understand not only the educational component of financial wellbeing but also the behavioral component.
“Much like any kind of mental health coping skill development, there’s always that sort of educational piece, but then it’s looking at how you turn it into a behavioral change,” Matt explains. “We recognize that most people don’t get enough financial education in their lives just through their life experience, whether it’s through schooling formally or work experience—and we think we can help there.”
By integrating financial wellness into our mental health and wellbeing ecosystem, CuraLinc ensures that employees receive comprehensive, real-world support—not just for emotional wellbeing, but for the many life challenges that can influence it.
Human-centric holistic solutions
We recently identified six key mental health and wellbeing trends shaped by insights from our clients, partners and team conversations. One of those key trends was a shift toward a more holistic approach to mental health and wellbeing. That’s why we’re especially excited about our recent acquisition of Marquee Health.
“Wellness and wellbeing services are really sort of an on-ramp for broader health conversations because there’s very little stigma associated with talking to a health coach about a very specific tangible health-related or behavioral issue,” Matt says. “It’s far less stigmatizing than talking to a therapist about your mental health.”
Bringing mental health solutions and wellness solutions together really allows CuraLinc to enhance an employee’s overall wellbeing experience and eliminate barriers to care. “We’ve got an excellent team of coaches who really—from a values and a culture perspective—line up perfectly to CuraLinc’s broader care model.”
Coffee with CuraLinc
If you missed the recent Coffee with CuraLinc episode but are interested in learning more about CuraLinc’s product vision, you can access the recording here.